MAR-DEN Berlin Pop-up Shop

by Zoë Noble

I love the fact that writing a blog about our lives in Berlin means we get the chance to meet likeminded people, who are passionate about following their dreams and setting up something special in Berlin.

Alex and Joe from MAR-DEN fit that bill perfectly, opening a vintage furniture pop-up store in their beautiful Berlin Wohnung. The couple source furniture and objects they would love to have in their home, each piece of which has a unique charm and a story to tell. Alex’s background as a set designer back in the UK means that she lives and breathes interiors, picking pieces that are “both functional and beautiful.” She believes that furnishing one’s home should be fun, and explains that MAR-DEN’s goal is “to help people step away from buying new, mass-produced items which can lack personality.”

I really love this ethos and James and I most certainly could do with a little help in that department. Moving to a new country with only two suitcases and two cats (not inside the cases, don’t worry!) meant that the daunting task of filling an unfurnished flat – which in Germany couldn’t be meant any more literally – seemed completely overwhelming. We practically lived in IKEA for those first few months, stocking up on weirdly-named household items like nobody’s business. After nearly two and a half years in Berlin, we now feel settled enough to start investing in some items that we really love, and say something about us as well.

Walking into the MAR-DEN apartment I pretty much fell in love with everything, which I guess is going to happen when the pieces are lovingly hand-picked, and restored by a professional set designer! Sadly the pop-up shop is only open until June 30th before everything gets shipped back to their UK store, so I urge you to check it out soon. Joe and Alex dream of coming back to Berlin to set up a permanent store as they, like us, have been bitten by the Berlin bug. I really hope they do, as not only do I love hearing about people following their dreams to Berlin, but our Wohnung could sure use their help 😉